The "Teeny-Bopper Horror" Discussion

[WesReviews]

I started a thread about this subject over at the Friday the 13th Message Board and have gotten some interesting replies, so I thought I'd see what you guys have to say on the matter.

I felt compelled to start up a thread regarding many of the board members' attitudes toward what they refer to as "teeny-bopper" horror movies of today.

Now, most old-school horror fans seem to hate modern films, because they claim that they target the "teeny-bopper" crowd. What many of you don't understand or are choosing to ignore is that almost ALL horror films target this crowd. People in their 30's and 40's and on don't go to horror films as much as people in their teens and 20's.

It's not often that a horror film transcends age groups, but these films have always been "date movies". Even in the 1950's, now-classic horror movies like The Thing From Another World, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Them! were meant to be "date movies". There is absolutely no difference in the intentions of the directors of these three movies and the directors of modern horror films. Have the styles of "teeny-bopper" or "date movies" changed? Yes. Have they become more commercial? Yes. But all movies have changed, you can't criticize the horror genre for the one thing that made it popular in the first place.

Even bolder, more edgy independent horror filmmakers who are looked upon by horror fans as gods...like the ones who made the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre...intended to target the teen drive-in crowd. Does the fact that it was aimed at teens make it any less of a horror movie? No. It was a good, solid horror movie. In regard to the newer movies, a lot of you are blaming the target audience for something that is the filmmaker's fault. If you don't like a movie, it's the filmmaker's fault. Not the target audience. Filmmakers can make horror films just like they always have (including targeting a teen audience) without playing down to anyone. To say the fault in today's "lesser" horror films is due simply because they target the "teeny-boppers" is ridiculous. Horror films (Hollywood AND Independent) have ALWAYS targeted this crowd. From 'serious' horror like The Exorcist and The Hills Have Eyes, to more campy fare like Happy Birthday to Me and Terror Train. They were all meant for roughly the same crowd. The date crowd. Because a sizable population of people dating are teens, I guess you could label these films "teeny-bopper" films. But by labling some "teeny-bopper" and not others, you're choosing to ignore the facts that nearly all horror films were meant for this crowd.

Many of you act like the targeting of teens is a brand new fad in the horror genre. It isn't. The slasher boom of 1981 is proof of this. Subsequent booms in horror have been proof of this...Scream and The Blair Witch Project being the most recent.

The slasher boom caused by Friday the 13th was no different than the one caused by Scream. If anything, the one caused by F13 was much, much, much worse. Look how many slashers there were after F13...House on Sorority Row, Terror Train, Graduation Day, Happy Birthday to Me, My Bloody Valentine, Just Before Dawn, Curtains, Tourist Trap, Silent Night Deadly Night, New Year's Evil, The Initiation, The Intruder, Hell Night, To All a Goodnight, Night School, Cutting Class, The Deadly Intruder, Nightmare, Class Reunion Massacre, Silent Scream, He Knows You're Alone, Terror on Tour, Final Exam, Prom Night, The Burning, Madman, The Prowler, Maniac, etc, etc, etc.

In the wake of Scream, all we've had is...Urban Legend, Urban Legend 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Valentine, and a few foreign slashers (namely Austrailia's "Cut" and Germany's "The Pool"). Yes, a lot were released to make a quick buck in the wake of Scream, but not NEARLY as many as were made to cash in on Friday the 13th.

But why do people criticize the films following Scream, while hearalding the films that came after Friday the 13th...which, in all honesty folks, are no better than any of the modern stuff... as classics? People who can put films like Night School, Final Exam, and Prom Night on pedestals while condemning films like Valentine, Urban Legend, and I Know What You Did Last Summer...well, I just don't understand it. Urban Legend, Valentine, and IKWYDLS aren't the best slashers around, but they are faaaaaar from being the worst. Rent Fatal Games, from 1985, then tell me how bad the new stuff is.

I think it boils down to a generation gap that some of us can't get over. People today think..."Their" slasher movies suck, but "ours" don't. That is total BS. I'm from the latter generation of slasher fans and I'm here to tell you that I can sit and enjoy the modern slashers for what they are, just as easily as I can the older slashers. There is no difference in them. And honestly, the modern ones are technically better made.

If WE have grown up, it's our fault. Not the filmmakers. They're just doing business as usual.

Any thoughts?

[hell ya!]

Originally posted by WesReviews
I started a thread about this subject over at the Friday the 13th Message Board and have gotten some interesting replies, so I thought I'd see what you guys have to say on the matter.

I felt compelled to start up a thread regarding many of the board members' attitudes toward what they refer to as "teeny-bopper" horror movies of today.

Now, most old-school horror fans seem to hate modern films, because they claim that they target the "teeny-bopper" crowd. What many of you don't understand or are choosing to ignore is that almost ALL horror films target this crowd. People in their 30's and 40's and on don't go to horror films as much as people in their teens and 20's.

It's not often that a horror film transcends age groups, but these films have always been "date movies". Even in the 1950's, now-classic horror movies like The Thing From Another World, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Them! were meant to be "date movies". There is absolutely no difference in the intentions of the directors of these three movies and the directors of modern horror films. Have the styles of "teeny-bopper" or "date movies" changed? Yes. Have they become more commercial? Yes. But all movies have changed, you can't criticize the horror genre for the one thing that made it popular in the first place.

Even bolder, more edgy independent horror filmmakers who are looked upon by horror fans as gods...like the ones who made the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre...intended to target the teen drive-in crowd. Does the fact that it was aimed at teens make it any less of a horror movie? No. It was a good, solid horror movie. In regard to the newer movies, a lot of you are blaming the target audience for something that is the filmmaker's fault. If you don't like a movie, it's the filmmaker's fault. Not the target audience. Filmmakers can make horror films just like they always have (including targeting a teen audience) without playing down to anyone. To say the fault in today's "lesser" horror films is due simply because they target the "teeny-boppers" is ridiculous. Horror films (Hollywood AND Independent) have ALWAYS targeted this crowd. From 'serious' horror like The Exorcist and The Hills Have Eyes, to more campy fare like Happy Birthday to Me and Terror Train. They were all meant for roughly the same crowd. The date crowd. Because a sizable population of people dating are teens, I guess you could label these films "teeny-bopper" films. But by labling some "teeny-bopper" and not others, you're choosing to ignore the facts that nearly all horror films were meant for this crowd.

Many of you act like the targeting of teens is a brand new fad in the horror genre. It isn't. The slasher boom of 1981 is proof of this. Subsequent booms in horror have been proof of this...Scream and The Blair Witch Project being the most recent.

The slasher boom caused by Friday the 13th was no different than the one caused by Scream. If anything, the one caused by F13 was much, much, much worse. Look how many slashers there were after F13...House on Sorority Row, Terror Train, Graduation Day, Happy Birthday to Me, My Bloody Valentine, Just Before Dawn, Curtains, Tourist Trap, Silent Night Deadly Night, New Year's Evil, The Initiation, The Intruder, Hell Night, To All a Goodnight, Night School, Cutting Class, The Deadly Intruder, Nightmare, Class Reunion Massacre, Silent Scream, He Knows You're Alone, Terror on Tour, Final Exam, Prom Night, The Burning, Madman, The Prowler, Maniac, etc, etc, etc.

In the wake of Scream, all we've had is...Urban Legend, Urban Legend 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Valentine, and a few foreign slashers (namely Austrailia's "Cut" and Germany's "The Pool"). Yes, a lot were released to make a quick buck in the wake of Scream, but not NEARLY as many as were made to cash in on Friday the 13th.

But why do people criticize the films following Scream, while hearalding the films that came after Friday the 13th...which, in all honesty folks, are no better than any of the modern stuff... as classics? People who can put films like Night School, Final Exam, and Prom Night on pedestals while condemning films like Valentine, Urban Legend, and I Know What You Did Last Summer...well, I just don't understand it. Urban Legend, Valentine, and IKWYDLS aren't the best slashers around, but they are faaaaaar from being the worst. Rent Fatal Games, from 1985, then tell me how bad the new stuff is.

I think it boils down to a generation gap that some of us can't get over. People today think..."Their" slasher movies suck, but "ours" don't. That is total BS. I'm from the latter generation of slasher fans and I'm here to tell you that I can sit and enjoy the modern slashers for what they are, just as easily as I can the older slashers. There is no difference in them. And honestly, the modern ones are technically better made.

If WE have grown up, it's our fault. Not the filmmakers. They're just doing business as usual.

Any thoughts?

I complety agree with you. I never understood why people would call today's slashers "Teeny bobber" at all. What you think, there was no teens in the older slasher movies?

[Dave]

I have no problem with "Teeny-Bopper Horror". My problem is with "Screamy-Bopper Horror" (© Horrordvds.com - ). More specifically, my problem is with shit like Scream that makes fun of the horror genre.

Scream: "Here, watch us succeed! We'll take the cast of present day 90210, throw them into a 'horror' movie, make fun of the horror genre, and watch the cash flow in."

Of course horror movies, most often filled with nudity and gore, are going to be aimed at young people. That's fine. Friday the 13th IS a horror movie. Sure, 5 sequels later with the same thing happening over and over may not SEEM very scary, but it at least doesn't deliberately and directly make fun of the genre. Scream is just a spoof.

There are still GOOD present day horror movies that don't resort to the 90210 cast and don't resort to making fun of the genre. Examples: Frailty, DellaMorte DellaMore, Dagon.

There are no good modern day slashers. Scream doesn't deserve to be put into that category. Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X are disgraceful simply because they are bad movies that broke the standard formula. Not just broke it, but took a flying leap from the standard formula. Lets keep Jason in his own body and lets keep Jason on planet Earth. That's all I ask.

[Grim]

I like Scream, but after that I think it was down hill.

I absolutely love VALENTINE, CHERRY FALLS, THE POOL, and the FINAL DESTINATION films, but I hate most of the other recent slashers, as they just aren't fun, and are really quite lame. As for SCREAM (aka the annoying bore), I've said why I hate it before, and its not because its a "teenybopper" film. I've never used that stupid arguement.

Sure, horror movies have always been marketed to teens, but I don't think the genre has ever been in such a watered-down, moron state as it is today. There has never been such pandering on the part of the studios to appeal to the Christina Aguilera/John Mayer crowd...

Everything gets watered down to the point of total shit eventually.

I've never knocked "Scream" because it was a teeny-bopper horror film. I knock it because it sucks.

[Dave]

Originally posted by dvdasia62
I've never knocked "Scream" because it was a teeny-bopper horror film. I knock it because it sucks.

Well said!

Originally posted by Eddie Quist
Sure, horror movies have always been marketed to teens, but I don't think the genre has ever been in such a watered-down, moron state as it is today. There has never been such pandering on the part of the studios to appeal to the Christina Aguilera/John Mayer crowd...

Everything gets watered down to the point of total shit eventually.

AGREED!

[mcchrist]

I have no problem with "Teeny-Bopper Horror". My problem is with "Screamy-Bopper Horror" (© Horrordvds.com - )

Never said more elegantly!

[maybrick]

Originally posted by Cujo108
I absolutely love VALENTINE,

I don't know how anyone in their right mind could defend this piece of shit.

Definitely the worst slasher since Scream, even overriding IKWYDLS.

I've never understood the sentiments either, and the more it gets discussed the more convoluted and hypocritical the anti-modern-slasher fanatics seem.

Once one of their arguments is pointed out as ridiculous or just plain stupid then it changes. No one seems to use the TV celebrity argument any more... and that was the number one argument not too long ago.

I prefer the modern slashers. I prefer the younger casts opposed to the 40 year olds playing teenagers in the slashers of yesterday. I prefer the hip, more in tune with pop culture characters then the dumb asses of yesterday. I prefer quality writing opposed to inferior, eye-rolling enducing scripts. I prefer actors who can actually act. I prefer directors with a reverence for the genre (Wes Craven and Jamie Blanks) opposed to assholes who hate the genre but use it to advance their carreers (Jack Sholder, Rachel Talalay) . In short, I prefer Scream over Friday the 13th part whatever; Urban Legend over Halloween 4 or 5 or 6 or 8, and most definatly prefer I Know What You Did Last Summer over Slumber Party Massacre.

Dave thinks Scream makes fun of the genre and the fans. I don't. I think that a film directed by, produced by or written by someone who hates the genre makes fun of it and the fans! Scream was written by and directed by two people who have openly declared a love of the genre and a respect for the fans. That is not something that can be claimed of any of the Friday the 13th sequels' directors or writers. In many cases (Jack Sholder-of NOES part 2- for example) the director and writer will openly discuss their lack of respect and hatered for horror and its fans. That is completly offensive to me and more of an afront to me and the genre I cherish then Scream could ever be, or for that matter then even Valentine could ever be.

If we're talking about slashers of the late 70's/ 80's compared to now - there is no comparison... why the fuck would I want to watch a watered down - beautiful girls, but no one takes anything off - trendy people populated piece of shit 90's slasher - I miss the whole "exploitation" factor that is definitely missing these days - and that is really the main reason (and lack of skin!!!!! ) Of course I'm sure some of it is due to the generation gap - damn some of you people are missing out!

[WesReviews]

I actually DO like Valentine quite a bit. Of all the recent slashers, it's the only one I really enjoy. Though the Urban Legend movies and I Know What You Did Last Summer had some decent kills (i've not seen I Still Know... so i can't vouch for it) I thought Valentine was fun. It's easily the most similar to the early 80's slashers. It had a great musical score by Don Davis, a great costume for the killer, some inventive, but bloodless kills (thanks to Warner Bros. NOT the director. Warner cut the film AFTER it had recieved it's R rating with all the gore intact. Blame Warner for this one being dry, not the director) and the ending was a lot of cheesy slasher fun.

Spoiler: Reminding me of Alone in the Dark

I can see how people would dislike I Know... and Urban Legend (i hated the revelation of the killer...simply stupid) but Valentine is an 80's slasher through and through. It even had great poster art, and you never see great slasher poster art these days. It's not a classic movie, but it's no worse than some of the older ones we all love from the early 80's.

I like all sorts of horror movies and don't remotely care about the genre. Some Teeny-Bopper movies are great (Scream of which I adore. So shoot me. ) and some suck (Disturbing Behavior, Halloween Resurrection). You can say the same about any genre of movies, no reason to dismiss them all.

Now, if we are going to compare 70s/80s slashers to the ones that come out today, I am all about the older ones. There is no doubt we get less nudity and a hell of a lot less gore now, which is a crying damn shame. Give me blood and gore and drunk, pot smoking teenagers any day of the week over most of the modern horror movies.